When you think of Dave & Buster’s you probably don’t think of food. And that’s with a good reason. The place is made for arcade games and drinking, with food as a sort of afterthought. Nonetheless, some genius friends of mine decided to head over to the Waterfront to both EAT and PLAY at Dave & Buster’s. It seemed like a mistake, and as our waiter told us that we could only order a tower of beer for more than three drinkers, this fear seemed confirmed. But we pressed on.

Bonus ribs!

I ordered a half-slab of their Black Jack BBQ Ribs, which were supposedly in the style of St. Louis, glazed with some sweet Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce and creamy mac and cheese (not in the glaze, on the side). My waiter made a mistake of bringing out a full order, which was pretty much the best kind of mistake. Unbeknownst to me, the ribs also came with some onions strings, which tasted so fried up that the onions may as well have not been there. You know, just the way I like it. Shockingly, the ribs were actually pretty good. They came off the bone nicely and were pretty juicy. The sauce was even okay for a sweet sauce, however, I would have much preferred some real BBQ sauce to that sweet Jack Daniel’s stuff.

Yeah I guess it’s creamy.

The mac was, well, just fine. There was really nothing that made it anything very good, but nothing that made it bad either. So, it really just was. Although, from the looks of it, it was one of the better sides out there.

So, Dave & Buster’s definitely exceeded my expectations. Of course, these expectations were frighteningly low, but that doesn’t change things. In fact, I would say that if you find yourself playing games and drinking at Dave & Buster’s over mealtimes, it’s probably worth it to head over for some food. On the other hand, if you’re simply looking for food and have no desire for them games, there are countless other generic restaurants you could hit up for better prices and likely at least equal food.